July 2018

07/30/2018

You know how some Christians used to do nothing on Sundays because it was the day of the Lord, and the Jews the same on Saturdays? Well, we didn't do anything today because it was 98 outside. Tomorrow is going to be another hot day, not quite as high, but I really don't find much difference between 98 and 96. Then late Monday night, early Tuesday morning the breeze from the ocean will push inland over us.

Izzy's walks were cut short because of the heat. Do your business and go back home.

I did make a run to the grocery store to buy some ice cream, but aside from that emergency I stayed inside. Except to water some particularly needy plants. The lawn is pretty much left for dead until the heatwave is over.

07/29/2018

I got your email. I'll try to figure out some organized way to repost those pictures.

Robin used to take the cans out of the cupboard and play with them. They were "can kids", and an unopened bottle of hot sauce or ketsup would be the teacher, and she'd act out what she thought was a classroom.

Meanwhile, up here in the heat wave it's still hot. I think we're approaching the record of consecutive days over 90 here in Portland. This is another over 90 day. And it looks like it will be a scorcher on Sunday, then a minor scorcher on Monday, and then we get 85 on Tuesday. I like the trend but I won't be happy until we get a day here and there to get deep down into the seventies. You probably laugh, but we're just not used to this much heat.

Not much else to report, but I've got a few O pictures that I'll email. Love you.

07/28/2018

This is an older picture. I sent others from this. I might have sent this. Did you get that video? Let me know if it worked.

We did a walk, Iz and me, and then I did some laundry. Joan visited her friend Linda and her pool. Linda was babysitting Oliver, and so the three of them used the pool at Linda's condominium. They enjoyed it, but when Joan was really sore and tired. So I prepared a meal for us. That is, I walked over to the carts and got some fat noodles with beef for her. I got basil and beef, which has lots of green and red peppers in it over rice. It was really, really good. I also got us some spring rolls to share. That's one thing about living where we do. We can walk to a whole lot of good food, and there's even more good food a short drive away.

It was only 90 today, but it's supposed to go back up on Sunday. Some places around here may hit a hundred. Hopefully, next week the temperature will drop back to the high seventies, low eighties, about what's normal this time of year.

07/27/2018

I'm pretty sure that the folks across the street grew this. They are growing tomatoes. I guess this is another thing that this hot weather is good for. If you give enough water in this hot weather you will be rewarded.

Portland allows for people to grow in their front yards, and Dave and the folks across the street have had gardens over the last two or three years. On our usual route Izzy and I come across raised beds of vegetables every few houses. Raised to keep the animals out (plus drainage, etc.). There's what I think is a cherry tree, but I haven't seen anything on the tree and the stuff that hit the ground is basically a purplish stain on the sidewalk.

There is a fig tree on our walk, and the owner put a sign at the bottom of it saying that people are welcome to help themselves. The fruit is small, hard and green, so I guess they'll need some time to ripen. The day they do I suspect that Izzy and I will be there.

Tomorrow's garbage day so it was a good time to clean out the fridge. Lots of old stuff in it. The old food goes into the green can, compost stuff. They send it out to some place in the country and spread it out and in a few years it will be rich topsoil.

I may be getting used to this heat. But not as used to it as Izzy. I'm not that crazy.

07/26/2018

Yet another hot day. Naps work, and of course there are Izzy's walking needs, but really, the energy level for everyone in town is down. This evening we went over to Joan's brother's house for a birthday celebration. Davis is 79. He and his wife went out this morning and picked blackberries and made pies.

Otherwise, it's been hot.

Check your email. Let me know if you can link to the video of Kinsley.

07/25/2018

Up here it's hot. It got up to 95. Iz and I did take a walk in the morning before it got too hot. We managed. That is, I managed. Izzy was pulling me along, stopping at this plant or that one to sniff. Today a woman stopped her car and rolled down her window to tell what a beautiful dog she is. I said, Have you seen her eyes? They're gold. And they are. The cleaning lady was here this afternoon so I hid out in my music room, and Izzy came in when things got too scary with the buckets and vacuum cleaner. We lived through it, though. I hiked up Sandy to Du's, the teriyaki chicken place in the neighborhood. It was a hot walk uphill but nothing too strenuous.

The place is like a ghost town. It's hot and everybody is staying indoors where there's air conditioning. Or beer. Or both. A cold beer would be nice, but I'm not drinking these days. Ice water works.

07/24/2018

The pictures are of Kinsley and company up with friends in South Lake Tahoe for the weekend.

Up here in Portland the heat has arrived and it's going to stay for a week or so. I only went outside for a couple Izzy walks, watering some plants and bringing out some garbage. If Izzy had her way she'd spend all day out in the sun, but we humans know better. We'll let her out in the backyard for twenty minutes, which seems to be enough for her to keep in touch with her desert roots. Just salad tonight for us, but Joan made a really good salad. Down on the Coast it's thirty degrees cooler, foggy and getting a nice place would be great. Tonight I saw our neighbors across the street packing up their car. I'm pretty sure I know where they're going.

07/22/2018

Joan's women's group got together today to celebrate summer birthdays. Seventeen of them. Meanwhile, I stayed here, did my laundry, walked the dog, watered the back, moved some empty flowerpots, the big kind, to the side of the house. And other things, too. When Joan came home she was tuckered out, so Iz and I went over to the food carts. As much as she likes going there during the week, she was overwhelmed by all people, all the kids, and there was a band there playing, so she was a little freaked out. I tried keeping her between my knees and petting her while the Chinese food was being prepared. Her tail was between her legs, but once we got up and to get the food her tail was up and wagging. Then we went back home. Good dog.

07/20/2018

Like I say, nothing much going on. I finally got my dental clearance to be able to get the new knee. Let me see. A few walks with the Iz. Leftovers for dinner. Glad to hear that you've been freed from your cell. Nothing much on tv. But in a few days all the NFL teams will be opening up camp, and that means real football is only a month away.

Oh, and it was cooler today. It was overcast until around three this afternoon. It never really heated up. Off came the shorts and on went the blue jeans.